Measuring violence against women with disability: data availability, methodological issues and recommendations for good practice
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World Health Organization
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14 p.
This methodological briefing note examines the measurement of violence against women with disabilities and aims to strengthen the quality and availability of data in this area. Developed under the UN Women–World Health Organization Joint Programme on Violence against Women Data, it reviews current evidence, methodological challenges and data gaps affecting the collection of information on violence against women with disabilities. The document highlights the heightened vulnerability of women with disabilities to different forms of violence, while noting that current prevalence estimates are limited by inadequate measurement approaches, insufficient disaggregation of data, inaccessible research methods and the underrepresentation of women with disabilities in surveys and studies. Drawing on a scoping review, expert consultations and existing research, the briefing note assesses approaches used to measure both disability and violence, including commonly applied survey instruments. It identifies shortcomings in current methodologies, such as the limited inclusion of disability-specific forms of violence and the predominant focus on intimate partner violence. The publication provides recommendations for survey design, ethical research practices, data collection procedures and the meaningful inclusion of women with disabilities throughout the research process. It also outlines priorities for future research to improve evidence generation and support more effective policies, prevention strategies and response services for women with disabilities subjected to violence.
This methodological briefing note examines the measurement of violence against women with disabilities and aims to strengthen the quality and availability of data in this area. Developed under the UN Women–World Health Organization Joint Programme on Violence against Women Data, it reviews current evidence, methodological challenges and data gaps affecting the collection of information on violence against women with disabilities. The document highlights the heightened vulnerability of women with disabilities to different forms of violence, while noting that current prevalence estimates are limited by inadequate measurement approaches, insufficient disaggregation of data, inaccessible research methods and the underrepresentation of women with disabilities in surveys and studies. Drawing on a scoping review, expert consultations and existing research, the briefing note assesses approaches used to measure both disability and violence, including commonly applied survey instruments. It identifies shortcomings in current methodologies, such as the limited inclusion of disability-specific forms of violence and the predominant focus on intimate partner violence. The publication provides recommendations for survey design, ethical research practices, data collection procedures and the meaningful inclusion of women with disabilities throughout the research process. It also outlines priorities for future research to improve evidence generation and support more effective policies, prevention strategies and response services for women with disabilities subjected to violence.